Rep. Weiner: 'I just needed a drink' after GOP response

One Democratic congressman says he was ready to hit the bottle after hearing the Republican response to President Obama's State of the Union Tuesday night.

Rep. Anthony Weiner (N.Y.), who is known for his outspokenness, praised Obama's speech as "uplifting," but said that House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan's (R-Wis.) response was too dour for his taste.

ADVERTISEMENT

"[Obama] was then followed by a guy who was bumming us out," he said on MSNBC Tuesday night. "I felt like I just needed a drink when I was done with Paul Ryan."

Democrats issued numerous fact-checks and pre-buttals to Ryan's speech, which warned that the U.S. is nearing a "tipping point" if it does not reduce its massive budget deficit and debt.

They pointed to Ryan's "Roadmap for America's Future," essentially an austerity plan to put the U.S. on better fiscal ground, as evidence that Republicans want to make reckless budget cuts and impede the economic recovery.

Weiner also took a swipe at Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.), the chairwoman of the House Tea Party Caucus, who delivered her own rebuttal to the president.

"And then Michele Bachmann who clearly was not in touch with the mother ship," Weiner said. "That is the contrast we heard. I think it was a good night for President Obama."

The New York lawmaker recently seems to enjoy making alcohol references when speaking about Republicans. During the healthcare repeal debate last week, he created a drinking game to go along with the procedings.

“You know, I want to advise people watching at home who are playing that now-popular drinking game ‘You take a shot whenever the Republicans say something that’s not true,'" he said. “Please assign a designated driver. This is going to be a long afternoon.”